Taylor Swift returned to her country roots at the CMA Awards

Two years after the CMA Awards bid farewell to Taylor Swift, she made her big return.

Author:
KXTV Staff

Published:
8:55 PM PDT November 2, 2016

Two years after the CMA Awards bid farewell to Taylor Swift, she made her big return.

In 2014, the country awards show took place just weeks after Swift released her decidedly-poppy album 1989, prompting co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood to joke, "Country music's just gonna have to shake it off."

But during Wednesday night's awards, Swift made a surprise appearance to present the Entertainer of the Year trophy — which she won in 2009 and 2011 (and was nominated for in 2012 and 2013) — to country legend Garth Brooks.

"Hi, Nashville!" she exclaimed as the crowd cheered.

"It's been almost 13 years since I came to Nashville with a dream of being a songwriter and a recording artist," she continued. "And I learned so much about what it means to be an entertainer from the remarkable artists in this arena tonight. That's just one of the reasons I feel so honored to present this next award to any one of these five outstanding nominees for Entertainer of the Year, and be a part of this historic night we'll all remember."

She wasn't the only big-name pop star to surprise viewers during the awards, with Beyonce joining the Dixie Chicks for a twangy rendition of Lemonade's country standout Daddy Lessons.